'She barely concealed Washington's limits'

"Two weeks ago, the US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, did not plan to visit our region, but she hurriedly changed her plans when a suicide bomber in Netanya and a rocket in Nativ Haasara threatened to disrupt the Gaza disengagement plan. By the time she reached [Ariel Sharon's] Sycamore Ranch and Ramallah, the crisis had died down and Ms Rice made do with spurring the sides to hurry and coordinate the evacuation. She even crammed a sudden sortie to Beirut into her itinerary ...

"The announcement of her visit obtained more results than the visit itself, because all the local parties adjusted their actions to Ms Rice's ... schedule and expectations. Ultimately, the visit manufactured only statements, albeit in the right spirit, while ... outside the meeting rooms ... events that could throw a shadow over the evacuation of Gaza are taking place."

"Ms Rice went on to compound her stance with an even more incongruous avowal: 'When the Israelis withdraw from Gaza, it cannot be sealed or isolated' ... This sort of statement is grating ... [because] Washington still seems to feel a need to search for some Palestinian demand it can endorse while publicly berating Israel."

Arab NewsEditorial, Saudi Arabia, July 25

"While Ms Rice tried to underline America's commitment that Israel's withdrawal go ahead as planned, she could barely conceal Washington's limits ... [She floated] the idea of convening an international peace conference on the Middle East immediately after disengagement is completed ...

"The intention is to improve relations with some Arab countries which have been frozen since the start of the intifada in late 2000. Coming from the US, the idea is odd, since Washington has openly rejected such conferences for fear they would replace the US as the number one power broker in the region. Perhaps Washington believes it needs at least a helping hand in the Middle East."

Daily StarEditorial, Lebanon, July 23

"Like a world-class ballerina or concert pianist ... Ms Rice captivated her audience in Beirut [on Friday] with her grace and style. Many thought that [she] would come to Lebanon with harsh and clumsy words over the issue of UN security council resolution 1559, which calls for disarming Hizbullah. But ... while Ms Rice insisted that the US remains firm on the issue ... she added an elegant polish to the American demands by expressing a message of patience, understanding, support and friendship for the Lebanese people in their democratic struggle to shape their newly liberated state."

Washington TimesEditorial, July 25

"Ms Rice trod carefully in explaining US policy towards Lebanon. She rightly emphasised once again that Washington has no intention of dealing with Hizbullah, which has a 'history of blood' ... At the same time, Ms Rice noted the importance of supporting the 'process of political reconciliation' now underway in Lebanon. But the enemies of a free, democratic Lebanon sit poised with their knives sharpened. The Syrian prime minister, Naji al-Otari, said on Tuesday that disarming Hizbullah would constitute a threat to Syrian national security."